Active and passive voice
I avoided putting this in the grammar chapter because there is nothing inherently wrong with using the passive voice. Sometimes it is useful. Passive voice is the term used when some tense of the verb to be is attached to a verb and the action points back toward the subject instead of forward toward the object. So, instead of saying The dog bit the man, the sentence will read The man was bitten by the dog. Another example might be We were expected at 3 pm. The action is really the expectation someone had about us.

Using the passive voice is acceptable when you do not want to sound aggressive. Your bill has not been paid sounds more polite than saying You have not paid your bill. You can also use it if you do not know the actor. For example, The forest fire was started yesterday. And the passive voice can be used where the action is more important than the actor: for example, The plane was shot down. In the first few hours at least, the public’s concern is usually for the passengers and not so much for the exact Dick or Jane who shot the plane down.

Mistakes were made is a passive expression found very useful by some people. It can be used to protect the person who made the mistake. But prick up your ears any time you hear this, as it can also mean the person who made the mistake is avoiding responsibility for it.

Be wary of over-using the passive voice. Several things happen when you use it. First, it usually makes the sentence longer. Second, it makes the sentence harder to understand, as you have to look to the end of the sentence for the real actor or subject. Indeed, the actor is not always named and it is up to you to fill in the gap. In the sentence We were expected at 3 pm, we have to imagine who was expecting us. Third, the sentence is weak and flabby. The active voice has energy and movement, while the passive lacks both. Try to have no more than 10% of your sentences be in passive voice.

Have you ever written a letter to a politician and felt unhappy with the answer you received (assuming you received one)? The chances are that at least one or two of the sentences in that letter were in the passive voice. Many politicians prefer not to take individual responsibility for decisions made. Some of them are happy to sap our energy so that we are less likely to write again. Here are a couple of examples (I won’t shame the writer by identifying him or her). You are to be commended for your work in this area (but the writer is darned if he or she will be doing the commending). A committee has been appointed to review this program (but the writer doesn’t expect any quick improvements). And so on. Writing like this is often because of habit, but it certainly serves certain people well.

Positive, not negative
Try to keep a positive tone. Partly this helps people pay attention. Even more to the point, you avoid bringing the negative alternative to people’s minds. If I were to say to you, “Don’t eat candy,” what is the first thing you think of? Right, candy. It’s better to say something positive, such as “Eat your vegetables.”